Battery Fire

VW might be getting ready to push its plug-in technology in a big way thanks to an investment in the battery startup QuantumScape. Key point: the solid-state battery is said to be fireproof and will offer tremendous range advantages.

One minor chink in the armor of the Tesla Model S is that a small number have caught fire, once their battery packs were penetrated. Nissan Leaf drivers, however, might just be able to weather such an event without an ensuing CarBQ.

Fire investigators don't think the latest fire involving a Tesla Model S can be counted as "Battery Fire No. 4." Their initial findings say the incident, which happened in a Southern California garage last month, was not caused by the car.

While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is starting to investigate the cause of the Tesla Model S battery fire, the driver of another crashed Model S thinks it's "the safest car on the road hands down." That comes from a Tesla Motors Club forum entry published with a slide show by Treehugger.

Electric motorcycle maker Brammo Motorsports took a hit over the weekend – a fire at its Ashland, OR, facility caused more than $200,000 in damage. Thankfully, this incident won't slow down business, according to the company's director of marketing, Adrian Stewart, who added that the fire had no impact on Brammo's production or distribution process.

The mystery of potentially dangerous lithium ion batteries continues to hang over sales of vehicles using this technology. Experts who recently testifyied before the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that failure of the technology has slowed development of electric cars and other applications of the batteries.

Last week was a rough one for Mitsubishi and its efforts to broaden its appeal among potential plug-in vehicle buyers. Two fires caused the Japanese automaker to halt production of both the Outlander plug-in hybrid and a version of the all-electric i-MiEV. The two separate incidents – both in Japan – involved plug-in vehicle battery-pack fires and, until the cause is found, production will be suspended, reports Automotive News.

All the Justin Bieber in the world doesn't seem like enough for Fisker to catch a break. First it was a 2012 Fisker Karma spectacularly crapping out on Consumer Reports. Now a Texas fire investigator has said that a house fire originated with the plug-in hybrid, according to AutoWeek.

When news of a fire in a North Carolina garage housing a Chevy Volt broke last week, green car enthusiasts – and, no doubt, General Motors – sucked in a collective breath. Had the lithium-ion battery pack in the range-extending hybrid suffered from some sort of defect? Or was perhaps the LiMn2O4 chemistry of the LG-supplied cells inherently dangerous?

In the aftermath of a Chevrolet Volt catching fire at a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration test facility, NHTSA may move to require electric vehicle batteries to be drained after major wrecks. The Detroit Free Press reports that the agency is contemplating issuing a ruling, but a decision has yet to be made.

In the aftermath of a Chevrolet Volt catching fire at a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration test facility, NHTSA may move to require electric vehicle batteries to be drained after major wrecks. The Detroit Free Press reports that the agency is contemplating issuing a ruling, but a decision has yet to be made.

Safety is a common concern as the automotive industry moves towards electric vehicles. In particular, focusing on the potential risks involved with li-ion battery technology is crucial as automakers move away from NiMH packs and towards li-ion storage.

Some of the largest pieces of the puzzle that need to be expanded before electric cars are seriously ready to take the place of gas-powered cars and trucks in the majority of driveways around the world have to do with batteries. The latest technology that offers a glimmer of hope for the future of zero-emission motoring is the lithium ion battery, but it's not without its problems.